Michael Posey
How do you structure a typical workday in consulting, and what tools do you use to stay organized?
I wrap up each day by looking ahead to prepare for the next morning's priorities. When the day starts, I revisit my schedule with the day's meeting requirements so I'm ready for the calls. My organization relies on a mix of digital tools, my calendar, email and a trusty collection of notepads for jotting down information while working with clients.
What do you find special about customer relationships in the B2B/IT sector? How do you approach advising a customer who might already have in-depth knowledge of the system?
I find that candid conversations typically work best. Knowing what the client does, what their issues are, and what services they are struggling with helps me understand what we can do to assist them. I’d rather spend 15 minutes understanding what the issue is in order to provide a good solution to try and address the issue at hand.
What do you consider your greatest personal strengths when interacting with customers?
I think one of my greatest strengths is being able to bridge the gap between complex technical requirements and real-world business/IT impacts. I prioritize transparency and if/when I require research to provide recommendations, I always try to state that, and to give a time that I’d reply by.
Many of our consultants share their knowledge through tutorials or training sessions. How important is this kind of knowledge sharing to you?
I think it’s very important. In our field there will almost never be a single person that knows everything. Being able to share wisdom, or tricks is vital to our continued growth and knowledge.
We have colleagues who transitioned from being a user of our product to a consultant for our company. How do you manage to deeply understand and identify with a new product?
For me, continued use, testing and exploring limits of what products can and can not do, helps to build guide rails to operate within. Once I know the limitations I can then proceed to explore uncharted territory learning as I go.
What do you think makes Checkmk or your team in particular special?
The consulting team is a true collective. We frequently rally together to discuss difficult tickets, or issues that we are working on. Oftentimes, with difficult issues the validation of the methods you are researching or reviewing help to confirm the direction of research/investigation. I know that I am able to ask my team for help and know that will help as much as they can.
Do you remember a particularly interesting, exciting or beautiful experience you had at Checkmk? If so, can you tell us about it?
The buddy system for new hires is fantastic. Often a new person is left to ask questions only to their manager, or their team members. The buddy system breaks those silos down, and allows you to meet and experience cultures across the company.
What made you decide to join Checkmk? How did you come to Checkmk?
I was drawn to Checkmk for the opportunity to help build and refine processes that make the consulting team more agile. Between the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the service, and the quality of people I met with during my interview process it made it clear that Checkmk was a place for great people supporting a great product.